First post for a longtime lurker here; everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable at BT4D that I've always been able to find the info I need just by reading the boards! Now I'm hoping that someone can help with a menswear question. For the past few years, I've been buying the nylon/spandex vented t-shirts from Target as a dance shirt for my DS. He likes them because they're stretchy and breathable, I like them because they're $11.99! I can't seem to find them anymore though; it looks like maybe they've been discontinued. Does anyone have any suggestions for a substitute that won't break the bank?

Knock, knock. I'm familiar with the slim selection of men's shirts. I believe Body Wrappers makes a nylon/lycra shirt for boys that you might find for around $17. More than Target but maybe within range.

Connection to/Interest in Ballet:Ex-ballet dancer, Company Shoe Mistress, ballet teacher, and mom of a male dancer!

Posted 21 May 2008 - 01:54 PM

Thank you for knocking, dancesmith, but we really don't do that anymore. Your information is very helpful so I'm leaving it, but in the future, if you could just please remember to PM/Contact a Mod with your information, a moderator will be glad to post it for you.

I must do the same if I wish to post on the Men's Forum, for example. Even though I'm a moderator, I still need to go through the channels so that we keep our discussions orderly and organized. Thanks for your cooperation, and don't fret- we all make these mistakes...

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor"- (Currently poking Poseidon in the netherworld with his trident)

"Christian Louboutins are uncomfortable, but I screamed the first time I put on a pointe shoe." Mila Kunis

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions, and the link to that previous thread. It looks like we'll just have to bite the bullet and start springing for the more expensive shirts. He loves the Under Armour wear, so that's probably the way we'll go - pricier than the Target brand, but still cheaper than the stuff in the dance catalogs. Although, compared to the expense of pointe shoes for the girls, I guess I shouldn't complain!

Thanks, also, to the mods for moving my question to the correct forum. I was looking specifically for menswear (DS is 17), but was forgetting that the Men's Forum is for men exclusively.

Target and Walmart both now have their own versions of the UnderArmour type shirts. They are in the boys' sections. The mens' section at Target has tight fitted shirts that have some type of breathier mesh (but not mesh with holes if that makes sense) in the sides. It allows for stretch and breathability I believe. Also check the women's fitness section at Target. The boys my DS knows like to get the tshirts in this section because they have a narrower fit. There are lots of colors to choose from if this is an option for your son. But they also come in white. They're not quite as long in the torso, but if he wears an "outside" dance belt, then it will keep it tucked in. As for v-neck - I love the look of these on my son but he was told he couldn't wear them. No particular reason - just a personal preference by his AD at the time. Same thing for the sleeveless dacne shirts he had gotten from Harmonie. So make sure his teacher is OK with something first!!!

One other thought, my DS learned to take regular white tshirts and take the sides in so they fit nice and snug. This was quite popular with his dancemates. He even earned some money doing this. And they were his favorite shirts for most of last year.

Thanks, Cheetah. The Target shirts have been DS's shirts-of-choice for the past couple of years, but they seem to have been discontinued. He wore the plain cotton tees before that, but liked the breathability of the Target shirts. That's a good idea to check out the women's department; goodness knows it won't be the first time we've had to do so!

I usually bought some local dept store expensive, breathable, stretchable underwear shirt for my DS, but lately he's been wearing a unitard for uniform, so no more t-shirts at this point in time. I do know that he always preferred a shirt that was high cut under the arms that allowed for freedom of movement. We started out with plain white cotton T-shirts, then moved on from there - I wish we had a local store that stocked several styles for boys/mens dancewear, but sadly not to be! ( Maybe a business opportunity!)

My DS had always liked the spandex tees at Target too. Very unhappy when they discontinued them. We tried various UnderArmour tees and Nike fitted tees (which I bought online through Eastbay). Not cheap though. Lately I have been finding more spandex performance tees at Walmart and Shopko. My DS never liked using regular cotton tees (not form-fitting enough). He doesn't like using leos either . There is a good online selection of dancewear for men and boys at Rivers Edge Dancewear - I've purchased a number of items for my DS there.

Connection to/Interest in Ballet:Ex-ballet dancer, Company Shoe Mistress, ballet teacher, and mom of a male dancer!

Posted 13 August 2008 - 04:11 PM

from chronus:

I wanted to add my $.02 to help. I too used the Target brand shirts and was quite miffed when they discontinued them. I happen to be quite OCD when it comes to my dance wear (see the thread in Men's Forum), so I then launched myself in about a week long search for an equitable replacement in quality, fit, and price.

My final arbitration, of which I am very happy with thus far, is the Boy's (not Men's) Nike Athletic Compression Tee from Kohl's. It's available both in-store and online, and is currently on sale on their website. Specifically, I found the Boy's size XL to be better than the Men's S or M since it is not excessively long (the one flaw with the former Target brand) but still offers the snug fit. Also, though this brand has it's label on the front of the shirt (lost points for that), it is small and rather faint. Also, price is similar to my former Target brand, if not cheaper due to Kohl's constant sales (every wednesday is senior citizen day I think, take extra %10 off if an older person buys it with you!). Here's the link: Kohl's
Hope this helps!

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor"- (Currently poking Poseidon in the netherworld with his trident)

"Christian Louboutins are uncomfortable, but I screamed the first time I put on a pointe shoe." Mila Kunis

Connection to/Interest in Ballet:mom of 5 dancers/1 professional dancer

Posted 29 January 2011 - 05:20 PM

I know this thread has been pretty quiet, but wanted to let folks know that Macy's carries a home-brand of men's tshirts called Alfani stretch tshirts. They come in crew or v-neck...but the "v" is very slight...sort of like a notched neck t! My son loves them...and he was a Target tshirt fan, too! The Macy's shirts do yellow after lots of washing (a lycra problem, I think), but I have found that chlorine bleach fixes that right up, and their life span doesn't seem fazed by the bleaching.